Best Hopping Tours: WC 1990 in Italy, Inter-Rail-Tour 1993, Albania 2006, Near East 2014, North Korea and China 2016,

Italia ´90

Valencia - Real

7 Games in 5 Countries

Hopperflops (may be incomplete): Stood in front of the ground when games were cancelled: in Wesseling, Bad Honnef and Sheffield; Did not find ground: in Herxheim, Legionovo (near Warsaw) and Klaipeda; Did not get ticket on the ground on game day (sold out): in Brugge; Other things gone wrong: in Wülfrath, Bologna, Kiev, Kiev and Kiev; Game postponed two weeks: in Marrakech

Rarities: The rugby stadium Musgrave Park in Cork, Ireland. Only two soccer games have ever been played here. The second one was in 1991, a guest game of the FC Bayern München for the UEFA Cup. The stadium airberlin-world, Dusseldorf, served Fortuna Düsseldorf as runaround for three home matches, while the Exprit Arena could not be used due to the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011. In total, there were only four games on this ground before it was de-constructed.

Longest non-stop trip over land and sea to a game: 44 hours and approx. 2,400km, to a home match of the FC Everton from Porto. Departure Thursday around 4pm with the train from Porto-Campanha, ride via Irun, Paris to Dieppe, then with a ferry to Newhaven and on rails over London to Liverpool Lime Street, arrival Saturday around 12 noon (1991)

Most exhausting train rides (All during Worldcup 1990): After the first German group game on the way between Milano Centrale à Zurich main station – standing in the aisle during the whole night *** With tropical heat after the game Ireland – Egypt with the lowest beer and water storages and without aircon in a completely overcrowded train Palermo Centrale to Napoli Centrale *** On the way Cologne main station à Liège Guillemins à Milano Centrale and also after bad sh*** - could not let the ticket for Germany – CSFR expire ***

Nearly would have missed flight: Took the wrong airport bus from Istanbul Taksim-square. Small detour over Atatürk Airport (Europe), back through whole Instanbul to the Sabiha Gökcen Airport (Asia)... soo stupid! (2004)

Cheapest accommodation in private room: 10 EUR in a pension in midst of an area of high-rise estates far away from the city center of Warsaw (2004). For free in a good hotel, as the first flight after cancellation was only the next day. Also in Warsaw (2012).

Accommodation with the worst value for money: 60 EUR for a shabby student flat in Kiev, after the Euro Championship Final Italy - England (2012).

Couchsurfing, as there was no chance to get a bed during the EURO: Two nights in Donezk and a nice experience. Still don’t need it a second time (2012).

Camp bed surfing.

One Night Stand with Britney.

bed of an businessmen

In the bed of residents: Due to „overbooking“ in the bed of the hotel owners’ friend’s teenage daughter, surrounded by Britney Spears and Puff Daddy posters; Bukarest (2007) *** In the double bed of the matrimonial bedroom in the hotel owner’s apartment, due to „overbooking“ before the Euro Championship Final, Kiev (2012).

Accommodation failed, spent night on street: Reserved a bed in a 8 people dorm to save money, accommodation without night service. When I arrived, all beds were occupied. Seemed like the eight guys only wanted to pay for seven... Nizza (2003). *** When I rang in the booked B&B around midnight, nobody opened. All rooms in the city fully booked due to a fair. Bergamo (2013).

Most emotional, crazy, goose-bump-feeling-nerve-wrecking-amazing game of all times: 7.12.1988 Internazionale Milano – Bayern München 1:3 UEFA Cup, Last sixteen, Achtelfinale, First leg in Munich lost 0:2, Inter with Matthäus and Brehme in series A nearly unbeaten… until Bayern came! Unattainable, even winning a World Cup can’t beat that!

Best-played game: 23.4.2013 Bayern München - FC Barcelona 4:0 Not, because Bayern won sensationally and completely deserved the high victory. No, it was simply a fantastic strong game of the two Munich over Messi & Co. from the first to the last second. Grade A+++! At the same time, it was the highest win ever of a tem in a CL-half final and the highest defeat in the king’s class for Barça since 1997 (at home against Dynamo Kiev)! There has been an earlier 0:4 against Munich for the Catalans: In the Olympia Stadium during the Eurocup Final against AC Mailand in 1994.

Worst-played game: Puh, there are several, but 23.6.2006 Ukraine – Tunisia 1:0 during the World Cup in Berlin is certainly one of them.

Biggest athletic catastrophe:19.5.2012 Bayern München - Chelsea FC 4:5 n.E. The "Final at home", the most important game in the 112 year history of the FCB until then, is dominated by the Bavarians and still lost after a dramatic game play.

Biggest human catastrophe:21.11.2004 Besiktas JK – Caykur Rizespor, in the beautiful Inönü stadium in Istanbul, two Besiktas fan groups quarrel, a 16 year old boy is stabbed to death in the stadium.

scene of the crime: Inönü.

Further games I subjectively see as ‚historical’:

8.4.1987 Bayern München – Real Madrid 4:1 „Auge“ and his men take the brutally playing „royals“ by their horns! Oh, how amazing that was!

27.5.1987 FC Porto – Bayern München 2:1 Bayern lose the final of the national championship shortly before the end „thanks“ to Madjer’s infamous heel goal...

18.5.1988 Bayer Leverkusen – Espanol Barcelona 6:2 n.E. Second UEFA Cup Final, after the 0:3 first leg, Bayer 04 catches up and achieves the largest success in the team’s history. A „real“ wonder!

24.6.1990 West Germany – Holland 2:1 Even Lama Rijkaard cannot stop Klinsmann & Co. this evening: Beckenbauer’s team takes revenge for the EURO 88 and enters the well-deserved quarter final of the World Cup!

4.7.1990 West Germany – England 5:4 n.E. „...and in the end, its always the Germans who win!“ …Just as in the World Cup half final after penalty shoot-out thriller in Turin.

4.5.1991 Hansa Rostock - Dynamo Dresden 3:1 For the first time, Hansa secures the first place of the GDR Championship’s last edition with a victory over the runner-up three days before the end of season.

Hansa becomes last GDR Champion!

International farewell of the FC!

Finale "dahoam".

No surprise!

22.10.1991 B 1903 Kopenhagen – Bayern München 6:2 In one of the darkest game times in history, Bayern collect six goals against the Nobodies under trainer Sören Lerby and drop out in the 2nd round of the UEFA Cup.

30.9.1992 Celtic FC – 1. FC Köln 3:0 A great evening in Glasgow in unexpected dimensions: It was to be the last game of the „billy goats“ on Euro Cup level for a long, long time... (end not in sight).

5.8.2005 Bayern München - Borussia Mönchengladbach 3:0 Very first Bundesliga match of the FC Bayern in the new Allianz Arena.

25.2.2009 Sporting Lisbon – Bayern München 0:5 After 1,400 home matches highest defeat in Sportings history in front of the own visitors*, after 500 games highest defeat of a Portuguese team in the Euro Cup of all time*, highest away win of the FC Bayern in the Champions League of all time... and also my personally highest away win with the FCB in an official match! Record-breaking! (* Source: A Bola, Feb 26th, 2009)

22.5.2010 Internazionale Milano - Bayern München 2:0 The big hope for a triumph in the Champions League, beyond imagination only a few weeks before, is not fulfilled. After more then four decades, the Inter secures the title again.

19.5.2012 Bayern München - Chelsea FC 4:5 n.E. The „Final at home“, according to Hoeness the most important match in the history of the FC Bayern, is unfortunately lost by the Munich after penalty shoot-out.

1.7.2012 Spain - Italy 4:0 In Kiev, the Spanish national team achieves the unachievable: They are not only the first team to defend their title as European Champion, but also win the third title in a row after the European Championship 2008 and the World Cup 2010! Magnificent!

21.12.2013 Bayern München - Raja Casablanca 2:0 During the FIFA Club World Cup in Marrakesh, Bayern secure the World Cup and with it the 5th title in only one year! The highlight in 113 years of team history!

17.5.2014 Borussia Dortmund - Bayern München 0:2 n.V. DFB Cup Final in Berlin: Guardiola’s most important victory as trainer of FC Bayern so far. Instead of a messed up season („only“ champion), there is rejoice, embraces and the double. The BVB comes away empty-handed again...

100 best matches ever: I have only attended one of these 100 matches (game no. 39 West Germany – Holland 2:1 during the World Cup in Milan)

Game with the most visitors: 86,298 during the Champions League Final Borussia Dortmund - Bayern München in Wembley (2013)

Lonesome away fan:10.9.1991 During the U21 national game England – Germany at Glanford Park in Scunthorpe, I am sitting completely alone in the away block until some 15 minutes before start. The other visitors find it funny and smirk. It seems like the organizers assume I will not be a big threat, and due to the large visitor interest, they also allow natives in the block. My distinguishing feature is gone, but at least I am not starred at by whole stadium during the game. ***

Substitution mistake:15.4.1995 Giovanni Trappatoni substitutes a forth amateur with Dieter Hamann during the Bundesliga match Eintracht Frankfurt – Bayern München, although two more pros were on the bench. The DFB statutes do not allow that – the 5:2 win of FC Bayern is annulled and the game counted as 2:0 for the SGE. ***

Abandoned match:31.5.2009 The Spandauer SV competes with only six field players and a goal keeper in the Oberliga North-East. The other players prefer to stay at home due to missing salary payments for months. After 20 minutes and 5:0 for Ludwigsfelde, the Spandauer goal keeper gets injured and the referee abandons the game. The ground (Waldstadion) still counts, of course! ***

"Three penalty kicks"19.9.2009 Spartak Moskau is 0:1 behind at Saturn Ramenskoje and gets a penalty kick. However, the execution is delayed as a visitor suddenly runs on the field and scores the kick himself. After the guy had been caught, Spartak tried again – this time with their own personnell: Start, goal? No, the referee does not award the goal! Third try: Start, goal! 1:1. Here my video of the scene: Spartak. Unfortunalty, the footage does not cover that the whole trouble was somewhat for nothing, as Saturn directly gained the lead again! ***

TICKETS

Most expensive standard price ticket: 160 EUR plus fees for the Champions League final 2012, 3rd category or 256,50 EUR for a Youth Package (1 x adult and 1 x adolescent below 12 years) for the Champions League final 2010 in Madrid, 3rd category.

Most expensive black market ticket: 1,700 DM for the World Cup Final 1990. Bought despite being unemployed approx. two weeks before start of the tournament via a travel agency in Cologne. It claimed: „We deliver ALL tickets!“. And that’s what they did!

Biggest success on the black market at the stadium:6.9.1991 RSC Anderlecht – Club Brugge 1:1 Large demand, hardly any offers, and a German not understanding anything get the THE ticket in the middle of the RSC-mob!

Online hunt for game tickets: World Cup 2006 in Germany: Got two tickets assigned and got six. Euro Cup 2012 in Poland in the Ukraine: Got 18 tickets!

Unusual stadium ticket office: The Duisburg FV 08 sold tickets for the cup match against the MSV Duisburg out of the side window of a Volkswagen van (2014).

mobile ticket office

OTHERS

One of the best stadium choreographies: Juve - Bayern (2013)

Experienced tough riots:

28.2.1990 France – West-Germany 2:1 Use of batons and tear gas in Montpellier.

10.6.1990 West-Germany – Jugoslavia 4:1 Opening of the World Cup 1990 on Milan’s cathedral square: Germans riot in the city.

Montpellier, 1990.

Milan, 1990.

Milan, 1990.

Ljubljana, 2011.

18.6.1992 Germany – Holland 1:3 Motivated by the riots of the English against Sweden in Malmö, the Germans also cause unrest in Göteborg.

Goal keeper gloves of Andreas Wessels, VfL Bochum (after the 2:1 victory of Bochum on the Gladbach Bökelberg on August 11th, 1990)

Shirt of Roland Wohlfarth, FC Bayern (after the 3:2 victory of Munich in the Westfalenstadion Dortmund on May 17th, 1991)

of Andreas Wessels

of Roland Wohlfarth

matchworn

My personal favorite player: Roland Wohlfarth

Actually is and always has been irrelevant to me who played for Bayern München, and generally I am not so interested in the names of the players entering the stadium. Most important is that they run and I can watch a good game! However, if there is a favorite, its definitely Roland Wohlfarth of FC Bayern! He is somehow similar to me...!

Not a favorite player, but I am still happy I have seen him live twice: Diego Maradona 5.4.1989 SSC Napoli – Bayern München 2:0 and 8.7.1990 West-Germany – Argentina 1:0 (WC-final in Rome)

The worst stadium sausage of all times: "Hot Dog" medium heated in a paper bag, next to it a muddy bun in a disgusting composition of ketchup and mustard – simply an impudence! Served in the Karaiskákis stadium by Olympiakos Piräus (2015)